We spend so much time chasing the allusive dollar, well rephrase that as a dollar doesn’t buy much anymore. We chase money in general. We all want more and for most what we have isn’t enough. We all lose time and opportunities with loved ones because a position or person controls us with money.
I grew up without having a lot of money. We got by, we didn’t suffer but we didn’t have name branded stuff , we didn’t do a lot of vacations to destinations. Our vacation every year growing up was going to Charlotte to spend a week with my mother’s four brothers and my cousins. We spent time at each’s house, when I was younger I never really paid close attention but as I got older I noticed my dad would spend the week working to ensure we continued to get by. As I got older and sports become my life, again my parents and my sister put me first. To ensure I got to practice and games. Finances were tight but I was able to continue to play the sports I loved. I look back with some regret wishing I would have done more to help. I mowed lawns and worked on a farm, but selfishly spent the money on movies, baseball cards and items that have since probably been sold at yard-sales or given away.
I look at my life now, I have a job that has allowed me to do a lot but I’m still searching for more. I want to finish my basement. I want to be out of debt. I want to be able to do more for my family. I want to build a sports complex and run it to ensure the kids in our area are moving forward. All of these will take money that I don’t have. I lost time with my boys, my wife and other family and friends because I had to work and be gone to ensure I was successful. I worked long hours, I used to take calls or answer emails on vacation. At times I would sneak into a bathroom to work on vacation thinking it would help me go further and bring more money into my life. I felt like I was cheating on my family trying to move us further up the chain. Often times we get so fixated on money and our pursuit that we miss the little things. The little things add up and become big things.
We all see the money professional athletes and celebrities are making. The guaranteed money, the houses, the cars and so on. We instantly get jealous, we get mad and then go to social media complaining or asking for those individuals to give us some of their money. Somehow we feel entitled to money that belongs to others. Why? We see something we have dreamed about. We only see the media piece. The story often time only shows the dollars signs the person is getting. We don’t see the work and time they put in. We don’t see the family struggles they may have went through to get to this point. We only see the end of the story and not how the book was written.
We have all spent lottery money in our heads. It’s true a player will make more in one game or a season than I will in a lifetime. I think for me I feel like I have let my family down for not being able to do more. I had grand illusions and plans as a teenager of playing sports as my career to support my family. Truth be told, I didn’t work hard enough, I didn’t have enough talent to make those plans come true. How did I handle it? I blamed others. I made excuses. I stopped trying to better myself and just went through the motions. Then I got to the crossroads of it’s time to start college, what am I going to do to make money. The bumpy road of life and money has seen it’s ups and down.
Money continues to be the driving force for most as everything we do revolves around it. Either for the lack of it or the idea of I need more. I hope to be able to provide the knowledge and resources to my boys on what it takes to be successful. I also hope to be able to provide them with the ability to work hard and know the value of money. There will be times you can’t do something because you don’t have enough and then there will be times you can help others when you have enough.
To the athletes I’ve tweeted and asked for financial help. I apologize! Again, it was a feeling of letting family down for not being able to provide more. There are many out there with less, that have more struggles and continue to push forward. I hope your path to making your money doesn’t include a pitfall. Don’t forgot to stop, enjoy the little things, those are things that money can’t buy.
Enjoy your day!
TCB